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Finding Joy in the Season

You can imagine what the lead up to the end of the year is like, because we all go through it. It doesn’t matter where we are, if you follow a Gregorian calendar, you will be running to complete all the things that you need to do before the New Year, and to add to that, In Christian countries, you have the Christmas rush, preparing for the meal, getting the gifts, attending the Christmas events. I know, we’re all on the same boat. I read somewhere, in passing, I think it must have been on Instagram, that “Your To-Do list affects your personality”. Thinking about that over the Christmas period can make it seem like, perhaps we turn into little monsters over this period. Some of us (If you could see me, I am currently pointing at myself), make our to-do lists the whole purpose of our being in this season. We perhaps forget, not only the whole ‘reason for the season’, but also we lose ourselves a little bit in the confusion. We forget to enjoy the festivities around us, we forget the
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Thursday's are for Singles

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Today’s topic was scheduled to be singleness. What a daunting topic to speak of, especially in a culture where people are being single is considered somewhat of a weakness, especially in Brazil. I have a story that I often tell, that helps explain how people here, especially within the church view singleness. Once, a couple of years ago I was visiting a project in one of the suburbs here in Recife. It was a brilliant project. A Pastor from the interior had started a little rehabilitation centre. He basically had bought a house, and took in people who wanted to get drug free and they lived together as family. This project had grown and been going on for a couple of years. His success rates where at last five times higher than those of the state-run centres. At this time, he had some 20 plus young men living at the centre. We all sat down to meet the men, in a big circle, on the sidewalk, and right out into the street, and the Pastor asked all the young men to introduce themselves, an
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Wednesday: I'm writing this from a hammock

Tid Bit about living in Recife: In the UK, even in London and larger cities, I don’t think that we really have a full understanding of what Noise Pollution is, or how it can affect you, both positively and negatively. For example, last night when really, all I wanted to do at 3.30am was sleep, I was kept awake by fireworks and by the fact that this community has finally discovered Despacito and was playing it on a loop (although I must say that this is quite rare for the community here. They don’t usually have parties until 5am, and the whole place is abuzz with the scandal this morning). Despacito is just universally a cruel tune. So, yes, there are times that it seems quite unfair to have to adjust your body clock along with others who have made the decision for you! On the other hand, I must say, thanks to the light and the movement and the music in the mornings, I find that I wake up much easier and much happier, it feels more natural, the cocks crow at sun-up (they really do!) an
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